Means for operating elevator gates or doors.



No. 679,86l. Patented Aug. 6, I90l.

J. RICE. MEANS FOR OPERATING ELEVATOR GATES OB DOORS.

(Application filed Oct. '25, 1899.)

N0 Model.) 2 Shear-Sheet l.

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No. 679,86l. Patented Aug. 5, l90l.

J. RICE. v

IIEANS FUR OPERATING ELEVATOR GATES 0R DOORS.

(Application filed Oct. 25, 1899.) (Nu Model.) 2 She et s-.Sheet 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH RICE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO WILLIAM I. REEDY AND WILLIAM H. REEDY, OF SAME PLACE.

MEANS FOR OPERATING ELEVATOR GATES OR DOORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 679,861, dated August 6, 1901.

Application filed October 25, 1899. Serial No. 784,715. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH RIoE, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvelnents in Means for Operating Elevator Gates or Doors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to means for operating elevator gates or doors, and more particularly to that class in which the door or gate closes by gravity and is opened by a counterweight, the latter being lifted by the elevator mechanism to permit the gate to close; and my invention has for its primary object to cause the door or gate to be automatically closed by or in unison with the motion of the car when going in either direction without requiring any attention on the part of the operator.

Another object of my invention is to cause the same power which operates the elevator to move a cable always in the same direction regardless of the direction of movement of the elevator-car, whereby the movement of said cable may be utilized for actuating the gates or doors.

A further object of my invention is to cause the elevator mechanism to lift a cable a certain distance and then permit it to return to its normal position as the car moves either up or down when any one of the gates or doors is open, whereby the upward movement of the cable may be utilized for causing the door to close.

With these ends in view my invention consists in certain features of novelty in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts by which the said objects and certain other objects hereinafter appearing are attained, all as fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of an elevator-shaft, showing an elevator and door-actuating mechanism constructed according to my improvements. Fig. 2 is a similar view taken at right angles to Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged view, similar to Fig. 1, showing the gate in the act being open in Figs. 1 and 2.

1 represents the gates or doors of the elevator-shaft at the various floors or landings. In the example of the invention shown in the drawings these gates are of the verticallymoving type and arranged to slide in suitable ways at the sides of the elevator-shaft. It is customary with this type of gate to lift or open the gate by means of a weight 2, which is usually located in a box 3 at one corner of the elevator-shaft and connected by cord 4,

of completing its closing movement, the gate passing over sheaves 5 6, with the top of the jury to any one who should happen to be un-' der the gate when closing. My present improvements relate more particularly to the mechanism for thus lifting the gate-weight, as the car, which is shown at 7, moves either up or down when any one of the gates is open. In equipping an elevator mechanism of the type thus described with my invention I provide each of the weights 2 at all ofthe gates with a projecting lug or similar device 8, and through all of these lugs I suspend a cable 9, which is provided under each of said lugs with a button or knot 10, adapted to engage therewith and lift the weight should it be down when the cable 9 is raised, thus efiecting the closing of the gate. This cable 9 is caused to lift or wind up as the car moves either up or down by a drum 11, to which the upper end of the cable 9 is attached in any suitable way, preferably by having its end securedjin an eye 12, driven into the periphery of the drum, so that when the drum is rotated the cable will be wound thereon and the weights 2 lifted should they be in their lowered position when the cable rises, and should the drum ll be set free or released the cable 9 will again unwind by virtue of its own gravitation, thereby returning all of the buttons 10 to their normal lowered positions in readiness to lift any one of the weights 2 as soon as the car starts to move should the gate controlled by that weight be open. the drum 11, the latter is mounted loosely upon a shaft 13, supported in suitable standards 14 on a beam 15, arranged at the top of the elevator-shaft and connected by suitable gearing, such as sprockets and chain 16, with the shaft 17, upon which the main sheaves 18 of the elevator-operating mechanism are secured, or the drum 11 may be connected to any other part of the elevator-operating mechanism so long as it moves in unison therewith or with the car, and one sideof the drum is provided with a clutch member 19, which meshes with a companion clutch member 20, secured to the shaft 13. Thus it will be seen that should the cable 9 be entirely unwound and hanging from its supporting-eye 12 it will be wound up or raised when the car starts to move in either direction, and this winding j automatically engage over suitable supporting dogs or stops 21,1 provide the cable 9 with -.an additional button 22, located thereon above the uppermost one of the lugs 8, but

below the end of a bell-crank lever 23, through which the cable 9 passes and which bell-crank 23 controls a trip for shifting the clutch members 19 20 out of engagement. This trip consists of a lever 24, connected at its lower end .by link 25 to one arm of the bell-crank 23 and ner, the top of the lever 26 being connected by the link 28 with standard 29 and aspring 30 being interposed between the collar 27and a shoulder 31 on the standard 14, so that when the clutch members have been disengaged by the trip mechanism the spring will exert a tendency to throw them together again. In order that this action of the spring may be resisted until one of the doors or gates has been opened and its Weight consequently lowered, I provide a lock for holding the clutch members out of engagement, which is automatically released in unison with the opening movement of the gate and preferably by the descent of the gate-weight. This lock consists of any suitable device, such as a pulley 32, journaled in the beam 15 and having a projection 33, adapted to wedge against the lever 24 when the pulley is turned in one direction, thus holding the lever, and consequently preventing the clutch members from coming into engagement. This pulley is automatically rotated toward the lever 24 and the latter engaged by the projection 3.3 by the disengaging movement of the lever 24, and this is effected by passing a cable 34. over the pulley 32 and securing one end to one arm of the bell-crank 23, while In order to effect this movementofthe projection 33 will at the same time be thrown down against the lever 24, where it will remain until the bell-crank 23 is given a reverse oscillation. This reverse oscillation is eifected automatically when the gate opens, so as to permit the buttons 10 to run down and be in readiness to lift the lugs 8 bya cable or other suitable attachment 35, which is secured to one arm of the bell-crank 23 at its upper end and to a trigger 36, arranged at each of the landings in position to be struck by the'weight 2,when it descends,a.s shown in Fig. 1. This trigger is a simple lever pivoted at one end to any suitable support or link 37 and attached at an intermediate point to the cable 35. Thus it will be seen that when the gates are all closed and the weights 2 consequently in their elevated position the clutch members 19 20 will be out of engagement, and hence when the car moves the cable will hang stationary from its supportingeye 12 on the drum, all the buttons 10 at this time being just below the position which the lugs 8 occupy when the buttons are in their lowermost position. The cable 9 will remain in this position until the operator releases one of the weights 2 by pulling the hand operating device 2l of the stop-dog 21 or until one of the weights 2 is permitted to descend through any other cause and allowed to strike or rest upon the trigger 36, whereupon the downward pull on the cord 35 will release the lock 32 33 and permit'the clutch members to engage. Hence as soon as the car starts to move the cable 9 will be again wound up no matter which way the car goes, and as a consequence the weight which has descended and opened its door will be again lifted and the door permitted to close, the weight being carried slightly above the stop-dog 21, so as to insure its engagement therewith before the trip-button 22 strikes the lever 23.

Although I have described a common form of clutch 19 20 as a preferable form of device for rendering the drum active, it will nevertheless be understood that any other shiftable power-transmitting device between the drum and the elevator-operating mechanism may be employed, and it is also evident that various modifications may be made in the particular means for tripping or shifting these .members and causing them to again engage tween said winding device and the elevator V mechanism whereby the cable will be moved always in the same direction by the motion of the elevator mechanism, an elevator gate or door and an operative connection between said cable and gate for actuating the gate, substantially as set forth.

2. A device for the purpose described having in combination the elevator-operating mechanism, a cable, a winding device for said cable, a shiftable power-transmittin g connection between said winding device and elevator mechanism whereby the cable will be moved always in the same direction by the motion of the elevator mechanism, a trip having operative relation to said cable for shifting said power-transmitting connection after the cable moves a certain distance, an elevator gate or door, and an operative connection between said gate and cable, substantially as set forth.

3. A device for the purpose described having in combination the elevator-operating mechanism, a cable-winding device, a cable adapted to wind thereon, a shiftable powertransmitting connection between said winding device and elevator mechanism whereby said cable will be moved always in the same direction by the motion of the elevator mechanism, a lock for holding said power-transmitting connection inactive, an elevator gate or door, an operative connection between said cable and gate and a trigger actuated in unison with the opening movement of the gate for releasing said lock and permitting said cable-winding device to operate,substantially as set forth.

4. A device for the purpose described having in combination the elevator-operating mechanism, a cable, a winding device for said cable, a shiftable power-transmitting connection between said winding device and elevator mechanism, a lock actuated in unison with the movement of said cable for holding said power-transmitting device inactive, a gate having operative relation to said cable and a trigger actuated in unison with the movement of the gate for disengaging said lock and rendering said winding device active, substantially as set forth.

5. A device for the purpose described having in combination a gravitating gate, means for lifting said gate, a cable having operative connection with said means for moving the latter in one direction and permitting the gate to close, a winding device for said cable, the elevator operating mechanism, a shiftable power-transmitting connection between said winding device and elevator-operating mechanism and means connected to said cable for disengaging said power-transmitting device after the cable has been wound a certain length, substantially as set forth.

6. A device for 'the purpose described having in combination a gravitatinggate, means for lifting said gate, a cable having operative connection with said means for moving the latter in one direction and permitting the gate to close, a winding device for said cable, the elevator-operating mechanism,a shiftable power-transmitting connection between said winding device and elevator mechanism, a trip for disengaging said power-transmitting connection and releasing said winding device and means on said cable for actuating said trip, substantially as set forth.

7. A device for the purpose described havgagement operated during the winding movement of the cable and means actuated during the opening movement of the gate for again connecting said clutch members by the time the gate has opened, substantially as set forth.

8. A device for the purpose described having in combination a gravitating gate, means for lifting said gate, a cable having operative connection with said means for moving the latter in one direction andpermitting the gate to close, a loose winding-drum on which said cable is wound, the-elevator-operating mechanism, a clutch having its members connected with said winding-drum and elevatoroperating mechanism respectively, means for holding said clutch members out of engagement operating during the winding movement of the cable and means operated by the means for lifting the gate for again effecting the engagementof said clutch members, substantially as set forth.

9. A device for the purpose described having in combination a gravitating gate, a weight for lifting said gate, a winding-drum, a cable having one end attached to said drum and being suspended therefrom, a button on the cable, means in connection with said weight for engagement with said button, the elevator-operating mechanism, a clutch having its members connected with said'winding-drum and elevator-operating mechanismrespectively, a trip for disengaging said clutch members, a button on said cable adapted'to actuate said trip, a lock actuated by the movement of the last said button for holding said clutch members out of engagement, a trigger connected with said lock and arranged to be struck by said weight as it descends for disengaging said lock, substantially as set forth.

10. A device for the purpose described having in combination a gravitating gate, a weight for opening said gate, a loose winding-drum, the elevator-operating mechanism, a clutch having its members connected with said operating mechanism and winding-drum respectively, a cable suspended from said 10 lever, the cable 34 passing over said pulley and having its ends attached to the arms of said bell-crank respectively, the trigger 36 arranged to be struck by said weight when it descends and a connection between'said trigger and bell-crank, substantially as set 15 forth.

JOSEPH RICE. Witnesses:

EDNA B. JOHNSON, F. A. HOPKINS. 

